This invention relates generally to refrigerators, and, more particularly, to refrigerators having a quick chill and thaw pan therein for rapid chilling and safe thawing of food and beverage items therein.
A typical household refrigerator includes a freezer storage compartment and a fresh food storage compartment either arranged side-by-side and separated by a center mullion wall or over-and-under and separated by a horizontal center mullion wall. Shelves and drawers typically are provided in the fresh food compartment, and shelves and wire baskets typically are provided in the freezer compartment. In addition, an ice maker may be provided in the freezer compartment. A freezer door and a fresh food door close the access openings to the freezer and fresh food compartments, respectively.
Numerous quick chill and super cool compartments located in refrigerator fresh food storage compartments and freezer compartments have been proposed to more rapidly chill and/or maintain food and beverage items at desired controlled temperatures for long term storage. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,747,361, 4,358,932, 4,368,622, and 4,732,009. These compartments, however, undesirably reduce refrigerator compartment space, are difficult to clean and service, tend to affect the temperature of the fresh food compartment in use, and have not proven capable of efficiently chilling foods and beverages in a desirable time frame. Attempts have also been made to provide thawing compartments located in a refrigerator fresh food storage compartment to thaw frozen foods. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,075. These thawing compartments, however, are vulnerable to spoilage of food due to excessive temperatures in the compartments.
Recent advances have allowed rapid chilling and safe thawing of items in a pan located in one of the refrigeration compartments. In one type of refrigerator, a modular air handler includes ductwork between the refrigeration and freezer compartments, air supply and return paths for airflow between one of the refrigeration compartments and the pan, damper assemblies for regulating airflow through the supply and return paths, a fan element for forcing air through the supply and return paths, and a heater element. By manipulating the fan element, damper assemblies, and the heater element, precise temperature regulation may be achieved to rapidly chill, safely thaw, of maintain the pan at a selected temperature independent of the temperature of the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment.
While such quick chill and thaw systems are effective for rapid chilling, safe thawing, and long term storage at specified temperatures, issues such as convenient controls for selecting a mode of operation for operation, serviceability of the system, and adequate lighting and visibility of the pan for use, have yet to be satisfactorily resolved.